In the collection of papers the results of research on biodiversity and ecological condition of water area adjacent to mouth of the Tumannaya River that were conducted under supervision and with direct participation of co-workers of the Institute of Marine Biology, FEB RAS in 1996-1999 are considered. The area studied included waters of the river up PRC border, the South Area of the Far East State Marine Reserve, Expedition Bay with adjacent waters of Reid Pallada Bay (Posyet Bay) and south part of Primorye.

Data on hydrological, hydrochemical, hydrobiological, ichthyological, microbiological, histological and biochemical research, on analysis of bottom and water pollution by heavy metals, oil carbohydrates, detergents and pesticides are presented. The quality composition of pollutants, which are discharged from Tumannaya River, dynamics of their allocation and their effect on communities of freshwater and marine organisms are presented.

The collection of papers is interest for the biologists of general profile, ecologists, teachers and students of biological departments.

In the second volume of the collection of articles, the Institute of Marine Biology, FEB RAS, continues to publish the results of researches into biodiversity and state of the environment in the Tumannya (Tumen) River Mouth and the adjacent areas of Peter the Great Bay which were carried out during 1996-1999. An introduction article is concerned with one of the most important problems of this region, i.e., the conservation of birds biodiversity in the wetlands close to the lower course of the Tumannya River as well as in the entire southernmost part of Primorsky Krai. On the basis of the results of algal flora research, waters of the river mouth are classified as beta-mesosaprobic, weakly polluted waters. The impoverishment of molluskan fauna of the Tumannya River bed and the adjacent bodies of water testifies to the suppressed condition of river benthos, which is probably due to significant pollution of the river in its middle and lower course. Analysis of the data on the level of pollution of sea water and bottom sediments in the river mouth area, in the southern part of the Far Eastern State Marine Reserve and in Posyet Bay (Expeditsiya Bay and Reid Pallada Bay) suggests a negative anthropogenic influence on the marine environment. A very low biomass, density and species diversity of amphipods as well as low density and species diversity of echinoderm and bivalve larvae testify to an unfavorable environmental situation in Peter the Great Bay areas contiguous to the Tumannya River mouth. Unsatisfactory health condition of flatfishes and other fishes in the river mouth and in Sivuchya Bight located 18 km north of the mouth is also indirect evidence for the harmful environmental pollution level in the area investigated.

This collection of articles is of interest to biologists, ecologists, experts in nature protection, university teachers and students of biological and geographical departments.

In the third final volume of the collection of articles, the results of researches into the biodiversity and state of the environment in the Tumannaya (Tumen) River mouth and the adjacent areas of Peter the Great Bay, which were carried out during 1996-2000, are published. In the introductory article, the marine environment and biota state in different areas of the bay, including the zone near the river mouth, is characterized. Conditions of the thermohaline regime formation in the southern Peter the Great Bay and its parts (zone near the river mouth, Posyet Bay and waters around Furugelm Island situated between these two areas) are described. The data on the coastal waters biomonitoring using brown algae suggest that over the last 15 years the heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Zn) pollution level of the southwestern part of the bay has increased by 2 times. In the organs of three fish species from Sivuchya Bight located 18 km north of the river mouth, the presence of DDT (up to 6 ng/g) and hexachlorocyclohexane (up to 3.7 ng/g) was revealed. These facts are indicative of anthropogenic effects. Rare and disappearing fish species from the Tumen River mouth and adjacent seawater area are described. The infestation by the ligulids (Cestoda) of one of the common freshwater fish species inhabiting the Tumen River basin was investigated. The first data on the fauna of seawater, brackish water and freshwater ostracodes in the southwestern part of Peter the Great Bay are presented. The full list of the birds fauna of the Far East State Marine Reserve is presented.

This collection of articles is of interest to biologists, ecologists, experts in nature protection, university teachers, and students of biological and geographical departments.